A Hollywood Architect at Home in Los Angeles

William Hefner and Kazuko Hoshino design some of LA's grandest homes, but when it came time to remodel their own 3,800-square-foot Hancock Park house, they took a different route. The couple (he's the principal at Studio William Hefner and she heads the firm's interior design department) consciously "decided not to think about resale value and instead to do what we like," Hefner says. "We didn't want the house to feel too large. The whole idea was not to fill up the lot with house, but to create a living space that takes advantage of the outdoors." To that end, Hefner oriented the rear of the house to the outdoors; French doors open onto a landscaped garden and pool area, with a small poolhouse serving as guest quarters. When the couple bought the 1920s Spanish-style stucco house, "The interior had been stripped of all character," Hefner says. "The kitchen had Formica countertops, and the windows were sliding aluminum." Inspired by a trip to Provence, Hefner and Hoshino took their design cues from that region, stripping the house to the studs and creating an entirely overhauled interior with subtle, rustic touches. To see more, go to Studio William Hefner . Above: Hefner designed the landscaping himself ("I'm a control freak," he says. "I like to execute the entire vision on my projects"). Above: The couple used a single shade of Benjamin Moore white throughout the interiors to create a calm, unified feel. The floors are 5-inch-wide white oak stained walnut. Above: Hoshino designed the crisp, modern interiors. Above: In the kitchen, Hefner designed the tongue and groove white oak cabinetry, which has a semi-transparent wash. "The idea was to add rustic elements like the wrought iron cabinet pulls from Gerber Hardware," Hefner says. "The Calacatta gold marble that we used for the counters and the backsplashes adds a warm tone and add a bit of drama. We looked long and hard for the right slab." Above: Hefner designed the custom steel doors and had them made by a fabricator for "a fraction of the cost of commercially available doors." Above: "The French doors face east, toward the pool; you really feel like you're outside," Hefner says. "Since we spend most our time as a family in the kitchen (we have a four-year-old son), we decided to add a fireplace for a living room feel." The pendants are from Circa Lighting. Above: Hoshino uses a mix of traditional and modern pieces in her interiors. Above: An elegant dining area with gold and brass accents. Above: The Mercer Bathtub and the plumbing fixtures are from Urban Archaelogy in New York ("we wanted it to feel more like a room and less like a bathroom," Hefner says); the floor is tumbled travertine parquet. Above: Hefner designed the whimsical marble backsplash. Above: A view of the garden. Above: A view of the elegant pool area. N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on September 14, 2012.